Synthetic
by Sierrakoi
Summary: Slight AU:: A survivor is left over from one of Cell's most recent killing sprees. To repair his pride, he vows to kill her. Or at least, he will after he's played his killing game.
1. Rain in the Day

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Disclaimer: No DBZ is owned by me. ***Tra-lala***

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Hey!

The inspiration for this came suddenly and was quite unexpected. I'm already juggling at least four other fics, but this idea just popped up and I felt I needed to get it out. So here I am. I might end up taking this down, I'm really not sure. This first installment sort of introduces the characters and backdrop. Oh well, enough of my babbling.

Ciao! 

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Summary: Slight A/U: Cell is on the hunt for the androids, his Perfection looming on the horizon. But his plans are detoured slightly when he meets a human woman, a respected nurse, who seems to have even less soul than he...  


Synthetic

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Installment 1

"Miss Iakes!"

The woman to whom was being addressed paused abruptly. She was rather simple looking, for a woman of that day and era. Her hair was cropped short, idly curling in to frame her rather angular face. A simple braid was plait down the back of her cinnamon brown hair. To one observing this woman, they would no doubt take in her dark, forest-green eyes that often held a faraway glaze within their depths. Her skin was neither pale nor tan, but hovering idly along the line of light and dark. Her shoulders were slightly broad though her figure was slim, absently curving out to form hips attired in a white nurse's skirt. She looked to be in her twenties, though it would be difficult to tell her exact age. She was clothed in doctor's dress with a simple blue ribbon tied on her collar and a name tag pinned to her chest, which read "Miss Urami Iakes" in bold print.

"What?" the woman responded, her voice low and stoic. It was as if she was just exiting another series of boring events throughout the day, only to look forward to a boring evening at home.

The man whom had addressed her stumbled to her side. He was also clad in doctor's attire, with a simple white coat that reached beyond his knees. Black-rimmed glasses framed his broad, lined face as faint white hairs streaked his head of otherwise black hair.

"I need to know-" the man breathed hastily, "-If you finished those papers-"

"Yes," the woman replied, a little snippily. A little more softly, she continued: "I placed them on your desk."

The aged man chuckled in slight embarrassment, the name-tag pinned to his chest flashing the name "Dr. Morte Juran" in bold print. "Well, I was all worked up over nothing..."

The woman said nothing at first, idly glancing around the sitting area of the hospital she worked at- and admiring the lovely flush maroon carpet and hunter green seating furniture- before asking, "May I go, Doctor?"

Dr. Juran scratched his head, grinning sheepishly as the lines along his face crinkled. "Err--yes, sorry for keeping you, Miss Iakes."

"Urami."

"Oh, right," the man corrected himself. "Miss Urami."

The woman nodded mechanically, before the clicking of her high-heels against the exiting marbled floor, and the sound of the door opening and closing with a slight click, signaled she had gone.

-_-_-_-

The sky was growing dark, the clouds were signaling it was going to be an overcast night. The stars were just beginning to brim along the vast stretched of darkening sky. But the lights of the busy city made it very hard to see them, unless you looked very hard.

But Urami was not paying attention to the stars, nor the lights, nor even the people bustling by her. Cars zipped past the streets and people were hurrying along the sidewalk, leaving work and heading home for the night. The smell of coffee from a local cafe wafted past Urami's nose. For a moment she pondered stopping and just relaxing with a mug of coffee herself, but she decided against it. Clenching her simple black purse to her side, she ducked her head and continued to hurry down the sidewalk herself. It was predicted to rain tonight, and she didn't want to get caught out in _that._

For the seventh time that week, Urami cursed the dress code she had to abide by. Her high-heels were making her feet sore, her clothing was all white and caught stains so easily...her skirt was itchy, it caused too much attention to be drawn to her by the male population...

So caught up was she in her own thoughts, that it took a split second before she realized a very tall, broad and brute-looking man had come to a halt right in front of her. She looked up just in time and came to a dead stop, quickly taking in his leather pants, black shirt with a skull etched across it, and torn leather jacket. His eyes were narrowed dangerously, a beard beginning to grow along the sides of his face.

Trouble.

"...Excuse me."

The man, obviously unaware of Urami's request for him to move, continued to stand there.

Growing agitated, the young woman breathed a hefty sigh. Loosening her wrist, she idly blew a few hairs out of her face with a puff of air and looked up to meet the stranger's eyes. "You're going to take my purse now, aren't you?"

This statement caught the burly man off guard, his muscles tensing in reaction. "...Maybe." His voice was coarse, ill-mannered.

Urami sighed out of her nose and held up her simple black purse, her lips puckered in slight annoyance. "Then take it."

This gesture left the thief perplexed, and with his slanted obsidian eyes he scanned the area around them. People were walking by on all sides, some were even glancing at he and this woman--and this very woman was offering him her purse! He had every reason to be suspicious.

"What's in it?"

Urami frowned slightly, arching an eyebrow.

"What you usually find in a purse. Cosmetics, a few miscellaneous items."

The man gave himself a few more seconds to process that information through his mind. Then, at a spur of the moment decision, he snatched the purse right out of the woman's hand and bolted.

Urami blandly watched the man go, and was still watching his illumination of a shadow disappear down the alley to her right. A few raindrops were falling; that was obvious by the slight _'tnk, tnk' _ sound of the water falling off the roof of the abandoned office building beside her as it hit a dumpster below.

Urami was vaguely shaken from her almost zombie-like state by a young woman who had stopped beside her, dressed in comfortable clothing with a jeans and a simple blue blouse. "Miss, did that man just take your purse?!"

Urami glanced down at her slender hand, which was beginning to hurt slightly from the force of the purse being snatched from her fingers. "...Yes."

The other woman stood perplexed, then shook her head, a few stray raindrops falling onto her curly head of hair. "I'll call the police!"

Urami looked up to meet the woman's gaze, and shook her head. "No...no need. There was nothing important in it."

"But-"

Urami shifted a light smile onto her lips. "Don't worry about it."

The woman bit her lip, confused at Urami's odd behavior. "Oh...alright. Whatever you want."

Urami said nothing in reply, but did allow her hand to drop by her side.

"Well...I've got kids to go home to. I really must go...goodbye!" With that, the passing woman brought a newspaper over her head and raced down the sidewalk as the rain started to come down in a light haze.

Urami watched the woman go, before she, too, began to head home at a mediocre pace. The rain was coming to the earth now, she didn't have a newspaper to keep it off of her. Brushing her hair behind her ear with a hand, Urami took a deep breath and exhaled. Her white attire was going to be dotted with wet droplets, that was for sure...and her high-heels still hurt her feet. And she no longer had her purse. But that was okay, she hadn't had that much money inside of its pockets in the first place.

Some would think Urami's behavior strange. But Urami didn't think quite so--she lived by logic. And by logic, that man would have acted in aggression if she had decided _not_ to give him her purse. And if you added that into the equation, then it would be interminable that she would have gotten hurt in the process. So why fight something, when you can find a much simpler way out?

Some people let their thoughts wander beyond the bonds of reality. Urami confided within reality's cage. She rather detested daydreamers, and with her attitude she had little friends at work. Urami was a respected nurse, working full-time and could be called at any moment to report back to her job. But she did her work well, and that was all that mattered. Waking, going to work, coming back and sleeping. That was her routine. Sometimes Doctor Juran attempted to talk with Urami--as he had tried today--but Urami simply did not like people. In fact, she rather despised people.

But oh well. That was not for _people_ to know, right?

-_-_-_-

Lethe as shadow.

Quicksilver, fluid motion. Not even a sound.

He even impressed himself, sometimes.

Android #21, less formally known as 'Cell', crept silently along the tops of the buildings. The rain provided excellent camouflage from the pedestrians below, who were oblivious to him even being there. The sky was growing ever darker, casting shadows along the sidewalks and busy roads. Blinking lights of the city, from various signs and advertisements, were being turned on as night came. He had to be careful about his shadow, to make sure it never swept over the ground. So he stayed clear of all the lights that could possibly endanger his current position.

"Oblivious..."

Cell sat, hunched over the top of an old apartment. The darkness made his physical form difficult to see, except for his two slanted, cunning eyes that flashed a light ruby when they caught light. He currently inhabited his Imperfect Form...and would only be able to achieve his next form, and eventually his Perfect one, once he absorbed his two life-supporters...Androids 17 and 18.

He knew they were well alive, even at that current moment in time. And he knew the Z senshi...all of those blasted fighters, were looking for the Androids. To fight them, and destroy them. 

But they didn't know about him. No, not yet. Well at least, they didn't know that much about him. Cell had already attacked two towns, leaving only empty, billowing clothing in his wake. No one knew what had caused the vast massacre of human life, as far as humans were concerned. Only speculation. And Cell knew the Z fighters were more than a little edgy right then with this new, looming unknown threat that Cell had introduced himself as when he had spoken with Piccolo some days before. But Cell would let them continue to guess, until the time was ripe to make his presence...his _fighting potential_ known...which would be soon. But not yet.

Right now he was going to collect more energy from the unsuspecting humans. But first he would have to scout out this town. He fancied scouting out the town and surrounding areas, so when he did begin his first phase of attack--and if word spread quickly that the Monster of Nicky Town was there--some humans might manage to escape. And Cell couldn't allow that to happen. So he had decided to check all available exits that a human could possibly take, and get a good estimation of how large this town was and how much it was worth attacking.

It had turned out to be fairly large, which was good. Not a lot of places for humans to hide, so far. That was even better.

He began to slink along the rooftops again, his lengthened tail idly waving behind him, as if it possessed its own will. He checked his motion, to make sure his claws made no noise. The rain was coming harder now--he could fill it softly sprinkling on him, streaking down his armor and skin. He didn't particularly like the rain, and he would probably go off in search for somewhere drier after this was over. He's probably save his hunt for the morning, when it would be easier for him to see and get his task done. And it would be easier for the humans to see him. It was always better when they could see him as well...they had a tendency to scream. And the screaming was very exhilarating, for a hunter. Though after a while it _did_ get redundant. 

Ah yes, a hunter...

Cell liked that term.

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A/N:

Good beginning? Bad beginning? Feel free to drop a line. Ja ne!


	2. Storms in the Night

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Disclaimer: No DBZ is owned by me. ***Tra-lala***

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Hey!

Well, it seems all of your inspiring words has given me enough faith to type up another chapter. And in that, I am grateful.

One thing that all of you fantastic readers touched on--the character, Urami, is definitely not what some would call a 'Mary Sue'. KAT asked some very perceptive questions, that should be answered sooner or later. Man, I hate being cryptic ^^; 

This story has a theme song! 'Synthetic' by Spineshark! Which is what the lyrics are that will be appearing to help aid in getting you familiarized with the character. 

Ciao!

Synthetic

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Installment 2

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~I can never feel the way you do   
But it still becomes me now   
I can't take the way you do   
But it's still inside me   
  
Synthetic solution   
Synthetic, I'll become   
Synthetic, if it makes this go away ~

Urami Iakes turned the keys in the lock to her apartment. The rain had plastered her hair to her face, and it was making her clothing cling. After a moment of fumbling the keys clicked and her door to Room 202, third and final floor, was opened. A wave of cool apartment air greeted Urami as she swiftly slipped inside, shutting her door behind her.

The apartment was simple and big enough for just one person. A bed was propped to the right side along the wall to an adjoining room, a television to her left in the main area. There was a nightstand by the bedside with a simple lamp. An unfinished book lay on it's surface, with a pair of reading glasses strewn across its cover. The lamp gave the apartment room a warm glow even from an opposite room, even though it was cold inside, thanks to the air conditioner that had been left on. There was a bar on the far side of the living room, which connected the simple off-white kitchen. A couch was seated in the corner, a table sitting in front of it with a bag of half-eaten chips and a remote covering it. Simple artistic portraits decorated the walls, and a few simple mirrors. 

Urami pulled off her shoes and chucked them into the corner. Stretching her toes, she proceeded to rid herself of the white clothing and shove it into a basket perching in the corner. Grabbing some attire from off the couch, she clothed herself again--this time in simple slack blue-jeans with a simple black tank top. And then she collapsed upon her couch. Her legs were aching from having to walk from work, in the rain, and up flights of stairs because the elevator wasn't working.

After a moment of enjoying the vast silence of her apartment (And the occasional sound of her neighbor's next-door clattering dishes) , Urami reached for the remote. She turned the television on but had it's volume placed on mute. With a hefty sigh she draped her arm over her forehead, her eyes closing in weariness.

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~Still I waste another day of my life   
And it sickens me to feel this way   
Now I can't make up my mind, is this right   
How I let you get inside of me? Twist my words the way that you do   
'Cause it falls on deaf ears now   
Still, I've learned to numb your views   
But they're still inside me~

Thump. Urami opened an eye, her thought process weary with the need for sleep. Darn neighbors...why do they have to make so much noise? Urami had half a mind to march over there and knock on their door and demand they keep quiet. But she was too tired to attempt such a thing. 

Grudgingly, Urami's gaze wavered over to the cell phone that sat propped on the floor beside her. She really needed to move it to the table. She might step on it. But she was too tired.

Besides, no matter where the cell phone was, she might still get a call from work demanding she go back to help with one thing or another. To sort papers, or help with some other patient. Or something.

There was some man on the television. Advertising some cream that was supposed to relieve tensed muscles. Or at least, that's what it looked like. The volume was still on mute.

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'It would be nice if I had some of that right now.' Urami closed her eyes again, detaching herself from the television. A waste of electricity, leaving it on when she wasn't watching it. Oh well.

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Thump.

Blearily, Urami opened her eyes again and forced her vision to re-focus.

That noise had not come from her neighbors.

-_-_-_-

Careless humans. Impudent fools...

Cell cursed the habit of humans to just leave various roof-repairing tools just lying about on roofs. And this apartment was no better. That was the second time his foot had lightly clinked against a wrench. Or perhaps it had been a screwdriver. But still it had caused noise--and plenty of it, to the android's sensitive ears.

He froze momentarily, narrowing his feline-like irises to focus along the range of buildings in front of him. The rain was making his sense of smell dampen, and it caused a lot of noise, especially to his keen hearing, as it tapped along metal frames and drive-by cars. Flickering signs, human advertisements, and the lights from various vehicles flashing by from the road was enough to annoy him beyond relaxation. Why do humans have to be so..._raucous?_

Creeping to the edge of the roof, beyond a series of smoke and steam-billowing pipes, Cell crouched and peered over at the city in front of him. Light played across his face, illuminating his features. He wasn't worried, there were no humans who were paying attention to the area he was confiding it. The android could see them scurrying along the sidewalks. Just like little ants.

The thought almost made him chuckle. Little ants. Yes, that was exactly what they reminded him of. There was a strong resemblance, as he watched them at that late hour. 

There was a crash of thunder in the horizon. So, this wasn't merely a light downpour. It was a storm.

Briefly, Cell pondered over within his mind where he could spend the night, out of this accursed rain. Certainly nowhere here. Far too busy with human activity. But there were some alleys not very far off, with some abandoned office buildings...a great spot for him to be.

Whipping his tail like a satisfied kitten, the android crept away from the edge and slipped over to the back of the apartment. Peering down, he could see some windows from various rooms inside the apartment, and a dumpster below. But beyond that was a nice alley, the walls tainted with various graffiti messages and littered with diverse debris. 

With grace that none would expect him to have, Cell slipped over the side and began scaling his way down the apartment. It would be aggravating to fly in such weather, and him flying in the middle of a city only increased his chances of being seen by wandering eyes. Being careful not to scale over any windows, Cell continued his trek down. Three stories. It wasn't far.

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~Synthetic solution   
Synthetic, I'll become   
Synthetic if it makes this go away~

-_-_-_-

Absently, Urami found herself staring out her window. She drew the curtains apart and gazed out at the falling maze of rain. When she wasn't directly in it, Urami didn't mind the rain. It was sort of comforting...soothing...but...depressing all at once. It reminded her of the day...well, it reminded her of _that_ day.

That day had etched within her mind the importance of rain. The promise it brings. But that didn't matter, as did everything else.

There was a flash of...something, that caught Urami's eye. But it had gone and come so quickly...well, it didn't matter. If it was a robber, coming to steal from her apartment, tough luck. She had nothing to steal. Or if it was a maniac mass murderer, that didn't matter either. He could kill her, and be done with it. 

No, nothing mattered. Life included.

Urami backed away from her window, idly pulling the curtains back together. She really needed to rest. She would need rest, for work tomorrow. And being at work would tire her again. And when she would return home, she would need more rest, for another day of work.

Urami paced to the kitchen and turned off the coffee maker. Not bothered to go to the bathroom to wash her face, she used the kitchen sink. Brandishing a dish cloth she dampened it, and proceeded to wash her face.

It felt nice. After a moment Urami turned the sink back on and let the cool water run over the cloth again. And then she pressed the cloth to her face. And just held it there.

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~Still I waste another day of my life   
And it sickens me to feel this way   
Now I can't make up my mind, is this right   
Now I let you get inside of me?   
  
I will never follow you...~

-_-_-_-

Cell made his body go stiff, pressing his tail lightly against the cool, moistened brick that made of the back of the apartment building. For a brief moment, his tail had absently wavered just in front of a window that had signs of activity from within, due to the light that was coming from the apartment room.

Just to make sure he had not been spotted, yet risking being spotted even more, Cell reached out a clawed hand and took hold of the window ledge--being very quiet and skillful, and scaled over to his right. Once he was directly under the window, he slowly brought himself up with his rippling muscles that coated his shoulders and arms.

Thankful for the cover of darkness, Cell peered into the apartment. The curtains had been pulled, but he could still make out shapes and figures of furniture in the apartment. The light, even though it was low, still hurt his eyes that had been focused for the darkness of night that was creeping in. 

Narrowing his focus, Cell could see a human only a few feet away, in the kitchen. It appeared to be female. She was leaning over the sink, probably performing some human ritual. But in any case, it didn't appear she had seen the android.

Cell uncoiled his fingers from the ledge, ready to continue his way down.

-_-_-_-

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~At this time I thought I was myself   
And I thought I never could become you   
All this time I thought I was myself   
And I thought I never could become you  
Wrong~ 

Suddenly Urami lashed out in an unprovoked spout of anger. She tore the cloth from her face and threw it into the sink. Her face was still set, as if it had been etched from stone--but her eyes were filled with some form of...

The sink was still on. She turned it off.

...resentment.

-_-_-_-

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~Still I waste another day of my life   
And it sickens me to feel this way   
Now I can't make up my mind, is this right ~  


Cell frowned, the sound of something thudding against a surface catching his attention. Had he, indeed, been seen?

He was peering back through the window now. It appeared the woman had just thrown a cloth of some sort into the sink. And now she was standing. Her back was to the android, but still, he could feel an angry aura radiating from her.

But then, with sudden calmness..._placidness..._the woman idly turned the sink off, as if nothing had happened.

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'Intriguing. A maniac, perhaps,' Cell thought, his beak curving in disgust. Humans. Too emotionally weak. They always let problems get to them to the point where they were completely detached from reality.

Still aware of what was going on inside the apartment, Cell studied the woman as she turned to rub her leg. For a moment he briefly saw her eyes. They looked like eyes that would belong to any other human, but due to the android's keen eyesight...or perhaps, his _insight_...he could detect something more.

Barren.

That would describe her eyes.

Indeed, maybe she _was_ emotionally unstable.

-_-_-_-

Urami massaged her calf muscle to ease the cramping pain. She could feel something...eyes, or something of that sort, watching her. From somewhere.

But she wasn't deterred. She had to go to sleep. Wandering eyes from somewhere couldn't deprive her of sleep. Because without sleep, another day would never come.

Then again, another day was just like the day before.

And so the cycle would continue. Right?

Urami exhaled, letting stale air from her lungs escape. She noticed the television was still on. Rounding around the bar, she limped over to the table and took the remote, absently switching it off. Her cell phone was still on the floor. She bent and picked it up, sitting it on the table beside the remote.

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~How I let you get inside of me?~

-_-_-_-

Cell shook his head. No need in being bothered with unstable humans. By tomorrow, mid-day, there wouldn't _be_ anymore humans in this city who would have to cope with their troubles anymore.

Oh no, they would be a part of the Perfect Being.

A light smirk playing on his beak, Cell dropped from the window and with fluid motion crept down the apartment side. Thunder crashed again, illuminating him for a moment before he dropped to the ground with barely a sound, slipping off into the shadows that even night couldn't hide.

-_-_-_-

Urami entered into her bedroom. The sheets were scattered everywhere. She couldn't bother with organizing everything right now.

She flumped onto the bed, attire and all. Looking up at the slightly cracked ceiling, she closed her eyes and breathed another sigh. Reaching out a hand to her bedside table, she fumbled around until she felt the lamp, and turned the light off.

She could feel the sudden surge of darkness take the room in its grasp. Letting herself drift off into the confines of silence, she rested her heated cheek against the soft, cool pillow. 

Her heart was thumping. Fear threatened to creep in. But it wasn't fear for the dark, or the silence.

It was the fear for tomorrow.

And if one was there, at that time, and looked close enough--one might have been able to see a stray, steady stream of tears wash down the woman's face unto the sheets bellow. 

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~I have become synthetic.~

A/N:

So...what do you think? Think I should quit while I'm ahead? Or am I actually doing a fair job at carving this out?

I'll give out a cookie to the person who can tell me the meaning to the name 'Urami'.

^^


	3. The Silent Alarm

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Disclaimer: No DBZ is owned by me. ***Tra-lala***

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I really don't know how to thank you enough.

I don't mean to seem unstable, but the reviews you leave me are what keep the thoughts pouring into my head to type more. I'm sorry this couldn't be out sooner--I've been extremely busy lately, with my school term for this year just ending and the summer open before me. I also just did something depressing; I discontinued my original DBZ, Cell included fiction, 'Collision'. You can still find it, but it's on hold. But anyway, enough with that. This installment is going to pick up the pace, and your ideas are ALWAYS welcomed. Thank you!

'Synthetic' by Spineshark is the theme song.

I don't mean to make this long, so--ciao!

Synthetic

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Installment 3

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~Synthetic solution   
Synthetic, I'll become   
Synthetic, if it makes this go away ...

... I have become synthetic.~

The smallest rays of the sun were boldly pouring through the one window that let light into Urami's bedroom. Mumbling incoherently, the woman turned over in her bed, causing the sheets to tangle around her limbs. Nuzzling her pillow, it would have almost been bliss.

PING! Bzzzttt...brrrriiiiiinnnngggg....

But alas, it wasn't. Opening an eye to peer at the room in distorted vision, Urami fumbled around in her bed to pull at a small alarm clock. It was five a.m., and time to go to work.

Turning the aggravating alarm system off, Urami tossed it half-hazardly back into the sheets in whence it came. Un-tangling herself from the sheets, the young woman crept out of her bed and stretched her sore joints and muscles. Glancing across the room to a mirror hanging on the wall she took in her frazzled hair and drooping eyes laced with sleep. Urami glanced down at herself, then cursed her stupidity at having worn her nurse's dress to sleep. It was wrinkled and folded with lines everywhere--it would never do. 

Stumbling over to the closet, Urami located an identical suit and began to undress. She pinned her name-tag on the new suit as she buttoned up the front of her shirt. Realizing time was passing with every moment--and she REALLY didn't feel like being late today--the young woman snatched the brush off of her nightstand and stumbled into the main room. Locating her high-heels thrown against the wall she stuck them on, meanwhile attempting to pry the brush through her un-cooperative hair. 

She had planned on having a quick breakfast of oatmeal, but she was already pushing the limit. Upon entering the kitchen Urami splashed the cool sink water onto her face. She would have put on make-up, but she simply didn't feel like it. She hadn't slept well last night, and her face showed it. So, her colleagues would know it as well when she entered the office looking like a zombie. But that wasn't their problem so, either way worked.

On her way stumbling through the living room, a sharp pain shot through Urami's foot. Looking down, she grumbled as she picked up her cell phone. Digging through the cushions of her couch she located an old, simply plaid purse. Sticking the cell phone in there amidst other things that had been and that purse since it had been shoved in the cushion, Urami slung the purse over her shoulder and surveyed her apartment.

A mess. But it was home. 

Briefly listing the things she needed to make sure she was completely ready, Urami headed towards the door. Opening it, she took in the faint gray and orange streaked sky that welcomed her. 

"...."

For a moment, as she closed and locked the door behind her, Urami wished it was still raining. THEN she could blame her appearance on the rain. Besides...the rain still reminded her...of _that_ day.

Why she found remembering that day soothing, Urami herself wasn't sure. It just was. 

Urami made her way across the balcony of her apartment, the rain soaked concrete splashing along her high heels as she descended the steps. The city was still asleep at this time of the morning, and it was more quiet. She liked that. It almost gave the city a vacant feeling.

Little did she know of the havoc that would soon follow.

-_-_-_-

Cell was perched on one of the highest rooftops the city had to offer. He looked surreal, a deadly bird of prey watching and waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down in a blaze of ethereal proportions...

His tail was curled around his feet, which were fitted with serrated talons. Idly the tip was knocking against the metal edge of the building as Android 21 kept his arms crossed evenly over his knees.

The city was waking, but it wasn't fully awake just yet. The perfect time to strike.

And as all birds of prey, this hunter was fully prepared to take flight and descend upon the unaware.

-_-_-_-

"Miss Iakes, you have a call on line four!"

Urami made her way into one of the main offices, pulling out her familiar chair as she sat, trying to organize the heap of papers she was just handed by a fellow co-worker.

"Who is it?" Urami asked, still trying to wake herself up as she reached for the nearby coffee maker.

"Hold on--it's a Mister Stratton!"

"Get him on hold!"

"Alright!"

Urami looked around her messy desk, coffee mug in hand as she tried to gather her thoughts. Glancing over her schedule, she noted she had an appointment at seven with a little girl name Breanna, and at eight she had to attend one of the weekly meeting sessions...and did she have all those patient papers filled out for her superior?

"Miss Iakes, Mister Stratton needs to talk to you now!"

Urami felt like throwing her hands up in the air in defeat. She was familiar with Mr. Stratton. He called about headaches every other day. Urami had tried multiple times to get him to come to the clinic instead of calling so they could see if there was anything wrong with his cranium, but the man just refused. And he _always _requested Urami for his calls. 

"I'll take it!" Urami called above the yelling and chattering chaos of her office as the sound of phones ringing echoed through the entire clinic. 

Reaching over, Urami snatched up her desk phone and clicked it to line four. "Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Iakes! Earlier I was feeling-"

"Headaches again, Mister Stratton? Look, please just come to the clinic we can-"

A sudden loud static roar overtook the phone. Urami flinched, pulled her head back a little, then held the phone to her ear again. "Mister Stratton, are you using a cell phone? You're breaking up on me."

The static stopped. Silence. Then suddenly a click. 

Silence.

Urami frowned, setting the phone back on the hook. His phone must have went out. '_Well if he needs more help, he knows where to get it. Stubborn old man. If all the patients cooperated we wouldn't have so much work to do.'_

An hour or so passed. The day was flowing fairly smoothly. Urami didn't have many calls to make, and the phones had nearly ceased ringing. She found that odd, and couldn't help for a small chill to inch its way down her spine. But determined not to slack in her work, she brushed her doubts away as she made her way down one of the back halls. The coffee maker had to be refilled, and they had run out of filters directly on-hand. She had to get some from the back room. Heck knows, coffee was the only thing keeping her going. 

Urami pulled out her keys, facing the door in front of her to the storage and supply room when she heard a scuffle. Her curiosity was perked as she semi-turned, looking back down the hall in search of the location of the noise. All was silent again.

__

'Some of the personnel, obviously. Don't be so uptight,' Urami berated herself. She turned to the door again.

A crash almost made her drop her keys. Adrenaline flooded her veins as fear began to kick in. Stooping down Urami snatched up the keys, shoving them in her breast pocket as she whirled around to look down both ends of the hall again.

That crash had come from a nearby room--it sounded as if it were coming from the south. 

Taking slow, deep breaths, the woman inched her way down the hall. Her fists were clenched, her knuckles were nearly white. She was being stupid. She shouldn't be running **to** the noise, she should be running **away**. 

Ahead of her, to the left, Urami saw the door to one of the old lobbies. It was cracked open, which was unusual because hardly anyone ever went in there. It was rumored though that the lobby was used by personnel lovebirds to 'nest' in. 

Urami calmed herself down. It was probably just two new workers having a 'romantic getaway'. But she was a professional, and behavior like this on the job was inexcusable. Fixing her skirt, Urami stood straight and composed herself as she reached for the door. She had to be professional.

She was already preparing a speech to give to the lovebirds a she shoved the door open. 

But as soon as she saw what was inside, absolutely nothing came out of her mouth. Not even a scream.

-_-_-_-

Cell was just cleaning up his mess. He'd already trekked his way through the eastern quadrant of the town, taking out everyone in the apartments and establishments there. It had taken him a few hours but he had down a wonderful job. No one had sounded an alarm, no one was suspicious, and no one was left. He had taken humans by surprise; some had still been sleeping, some were getting ready for work, he had even caught one old man while he was on the phone. But something was bound to happen sooner or later, and the Z Fighters would come running, looking for the diabolical android causing this. Cell had to get as much energy as he good, as silently and secretively as he could.

The android had finally made his way to this hospital, or more-so clinic. It was the first larger establishment he had come across in this city as of yet. It would be easy to take energy here, there were sick humans all through the building. But the security was also tighter. He had decided to come in from the back and work his way up, sweeping over the bottom floor and then moving to the upper stories. 

His first meal had been two humans in this old lobby. He had taken them utterly by surprise, before they could even scream an alarm. Now, he just had to keep this up...

The android was so caught up in taking his latest prey that he didn't note another human was in the vicinity until the woman herself shoved the door open.

Cell was crouching on the floor, his claws digging lightly into the flooring as his tail was curled dangerously above his back. He flared his wings ever-so slightly as his slitted eyes burned deep holes into the human who had dared interrupt him. One of the coldest, most villainous smirks overcame his facial features as he saw her body completely freeze up in fear, her eyes widening in terror.

"That was rude," Cell chuckled icily in the raspy, hunter voice he possessed. The woman continued to stare, and as much as Cell tried he couldn't read her thoughts through her eyes. It was like there was a door between he and her inner thoughts.

There was a brief silence as the woman suddenly took a deep breath, her arm dropping from the door like stone. It was then Cell recognized her as being the woman in the apartment from last night. 

__

'Well, this is a pleasant first...'

-_-_-_-

"That was rude."

Urami felt her heart skip several beats then speed up as she worked to choke out _something_...something in retaliation to this...monster.

But she had only a split second. Even as terrified as she was she saw the monster's muscles tense, his weight shift. He was preparing to pounce. His tail was raising. Oh God, that _tail..._

Urami did what her instincts told her. As soon as Cell launched himself from the floor at her, hissing savagely like a panther in a rage, Urami stumbled backwards, grabbed the door and slammed it shut in Cell's face.

__

'Monster of Nikki Town!'

The realization hit the woman like a jet fighter. This was THE monster, the killer, the very incarnation of death!

Cell's beak crashed first into the door, then his entire cranium. Hissing in a blind rage, his body weight and momentum sent him crashing through the door, sending wood and metal splintering in every direction.

Urami had partially moved out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough. One of Cell's elongated arms blazed towards her as he flew, unable to quite catch himself in the small confinement of the hall. His hand crashed into her face.

The woman's body was sent flying into the far wall as Cell did as well, the wall screeching in protest and collapsing from the force. 

Urami gasped in utter pain, stars dancing in front of her eyes as pain arched through her head and spine. Her vision was completely black, dotted with white. She could feel the wall snapping and crumbling, and desperately--on hands and knees--she pulled herself from the oncoming rubble.

She could feel blood pouring from her busted lip down her chin and neck, and she could also feel various gashes torn across her forehead and cheek from the monster's claws. She was utterly astounded at what a simple accidental hit by the monsters hand had done.

Cell had flared some ki and his wings at once, hoping the new pressure would help minimize the damage, and hopefully the NOISE of his body crashing into the wall. But the ki would also send a nice beacon to the Z Fighters to alert them of him. The falling wall didn't phase him, and he only vaguely registered that he had even hit the woman. Flinging the stone and brick off of himself, Cell surveyed the scene. The door was destroyed, pieces of it were scattered everywhere. The wall was virtually gone, sunlight was pouring through the open gaps where the rubble wasn't piled. Freeing his elongated tail, the android stood to full height. The woman who had stumbled upon him was crawling along the ground. He could tell his accidental slip of hand had caused her severe damage.

Instant hate flared within him. If that human hadn't stumbled in on him, he could have taken most of this town before the Z Fighters would notice! Now he had caused to much noise and damage to continue.

But oh, he was going to take this human out first.

With his keen hearing Cell could make out sounds of the police running down the stairs not far off. Pathetic fools, they really thought they could stop him?

Idly turning his attention away from the woman at the moment, Cell turned to face the end of the hall where the stairs were located. Immediately various personnel and policeman piled down, some screaming to others 'What happened?!'. 

As soon as they took notice of him, some of the personnel screamed and attempted to flee back up the stairs. The braver ones, the policeman, stared in utter fear before hoisting up their guns and opening fire.

Cell chuckled wickedly as the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off his armor. _'These humans grow more stupid as each day passes...'_

Urami slapped her hands over her ears as the sound of guns being fired nearly made her want to scream. Urgently, to avoid being accidentally hit, she lurched herself across the hall and yanked herself over the debris of the destroyed door and into the old lobby room. Pulling herself against the wall, she leaned her head against the wall--her entire mind throbbing with vicious pain as she noticed her white attire was now red with her own blood--and watched.

The guards were firing at the monster, but the monster was just standing there as if nothing was happening. Its back was to her, so Urami couldn't see its facial expression. But she _could_ see the expressions of the men at arms. 

They were confused, frightened beyond belief...and she then noted, utterly hopeless. 

__

'They're going to die,' her mind whispered heavily to her.

__

'And you're going to watch it happen'.

Suddenly the mirage of bullets stopped. The men desperately tried scrounging for more ammunition. But it was too late.

Cell had been amused long enough with the pathetic display of defense. He could already feel the ki signatures of some members of the Z senshi nearing. 

Raising a hand, the android let out one malevolent laugh as a bright ball of ki energy blossomed in his palm. Without as much of a flinch, the android launched the disastrous wave of energy at the men at the stairs.

Urami's held back a scream as she saw the stairs and men residing on them disappear in a blast of golden yellow. Throwing her arm up to shield her already brutalized face from the extreme light radiating off, she could see the monster still standing there, laughing.

As soon as it had begun it ended. The light faded, the remains of the stairs was crashing into a pile of rubble and mesh and twisted metal. The melted remains of guns were littered everywhere.

The monster then, un-phased, turned its head. And looked at her.

Urami froze up, her heart freezing like a cold stone.

__

'I'm going to die!' her mind whimpered.

But the monster appeared to be having an internal struggle. Suddenly frowning, he levitated off the ground a few inches and turned, leaping onto the pile of rubble from the wall. Pausing in front of the gap where brilliant sunlight was flittering through, around the monster's silhouette, he looked like a surreal Angel of Death.

And then, he was gone. 

__

A/N:

Not really much to say down here this time ^^;. I just hope to hear from you readers, in whatever you have to say...thank you!

Winner of the 'Urami' Contest:

alex damioh! ***Hands Alex a basket of freshly baked digital cookies*** Go you! Runners up are--Demoness Yasha and Asahi Yuhi! ***Tosses them a digital chocolate chip cookie each*** Great job.

Urami means either; bitterness, envy, malice, grudge. Enlightening word, ne?

Now. What's the definition of... 

'Shugotenshi'?


	4. Steadfast

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Disclaimer: No DBZ is owned by me. ***Tra-lala***

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I'll save all my rambling for the end note this time ^^;. Along with a new question for the chapter. See you there!

Synthetic

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Installment 4

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~Synthetic solution   
Synthetic, I'll become   
Synthetic, if it makes this go away ...

... I have become synthetic.~

"Six humans trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold,  
Each one possessed a stick of wood, or so the story's told.  
  
Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back,  
For of the faces 'round the fire, he noticed one was black.  
  
The next man looking 'cross the way saw one not of his church,  
And couldn't bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.  
  
The third man sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch,  
Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?  
  
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store,  
And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.  
  
The black man's face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from sight,  
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.  
  
The last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain,  
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.  
_  
_Their logs held tight in death's still hand was proof of human sin,  
They didn't die from the cold without—they died from the cold within."

Urami set the book of collective poetry and various other writings down on the table next to her hospital bed. 

__

~They died from the cold within.~

Something about that statement chilled Urami. Because she knew that she, too, was cold within. 

Was she one of those men, sitting around a fire, unwilling to sacrifice their wood?

__

'It's not important...'

Urami shifted her weight, frowning at the IV that had been inserted in her vein.

__

'Who cares?'

She closed her eyes again, letting her head sink into the soft pillow. She had been transported to a neighboring clinic on the other side of town for treatment. The few remaining people from the clinic had found her, bloodied and nearly unconscious in the old lobby. And they had brought her here to help heal up her wounds and see if she had any possible brain damage from the blow to her head.

As far as Urami knew, she was fine. The doctor had mentioned she might need stitches for her lip and jaw but Urami blatantly refused. She insisted she would be fine and not work the muscles on her face much to ensure the wounds would heal faster and more completely.

It was ironic. She was a nurse and now she was the one in need of treatment. She was to be released the following morning if her cranial X-rays came out okay. 

The bitter, nearly paper-like clothing that Urami had to wear itched at her skin. Shifting around some more, Urami tried to find a nice position to lie in. After a few more tries she found it. Sighing softly into the sheets she let her mind drift into slumber.

__

~They died from the cold within.~

"Miss Iakes?"

The voice was from outside the door. It belonged to one of the janitors.

"Miss Iakes? Are you still in your office? We're closing up in ten minutes."

The voice was persistent, even when there was no answer.

"Well, tell me when you go so I can lock up." There was a jangle of keys and then the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall.

Urami looked up from her perch by the window. Her makeup was streaked down her face, her mascara smeared over her cheeks. Her eyes were filled with newfound tears, welling up and spilling over her lids. Somehow she found her voice and muttered a whispered 'Okay...', even though she knew the janitor couldn't hear her now.

The woman buried her face in her arms again, sobs wracking her body in chilled shivers as her hands clenched at her knees until her knuckles were white. The darkness of the room made the faint moonlight spilling through the window illuminate her form in an almost eerie glow. And outside, the rain continued to fall in steady rhythm as the young woman continued to cry in silence and solitude.

On the end table beside her was a tear-stained, crumpled piece of paper...

The sound of someone opening the door woke Urami from her sleep, and the dream she had been having.

__

'Not a dream. A memory.

Face the facts...'

"Dr. Juran?" Urami asked, surprised as she managed to sit up and briefly straighten her hair with a free hand.

The aged doctor chuckled, pulling up a chair so he could sit by Urami's bed. "Call me Morte, please, Miss Ia-...Urami."

Urami studied the doctor for a moment. She was a little agitated that he just decided to drop in, but also a bit...relieved?...that he had. 

But once again her heart hardened and blew away the emotions that welled up within her. 

"Why have you come?"

Morte dismissed the rather blunt statement with a warm smile, scratching the side of his head with a gnarled finger. "Why else? To check on you. To make sure you're doing okay. You ARE doing okay, right?"

"Of course I am," Urami snuffed.

"That's good. In a state of shock?"

Urami frowned. "What is this, A Thousand Questions Time?"

Morte grinned sheepishly, fiddling with a button on his coat. He was wearing normal clothing; a pair of maroon breeches, a white shirt and brown overcoat. "Well, you _did_ survive that monster's attack..."

Realization hit Urami with the doctor's words. "Dr. Ju--I mean, Morte, how is the clinic?"

"The back hall's wall is out. The stairs are a mess. The old lobby door is extinct. The walls have burns all over them. At least none of our main areas was harmed." Morte stopped, suddenly looking grim.

Urami knew there was more. "And?"

"We lost Jake and Rebecca."

It took a moment for that to settle in with the young woman. "The two new clerks we had?"

"The monster got them. All we have is their clothes. Their family was told not long ago." Morte took off his glasses and polished them with his shirt, sighing heavily.

Urami was silent for a moment before continuing. "What about the stairs incident?"

Morte blinked, putting his glasses back on. "Oh, so you remember...your doctor was afraid you'd suffered a memory lapse but it appears not."

"My memory's fine. What of it?"

"Six people were reduced to ash," Morte said solemnly. "Three more of our personnel suffered severe burns. Kionu lost his left hand."

"What about the city itself?"

Morte chuckled. "What is this, A Thousand Questions Time?" he teased.

Urami frowned, not in the mood for humor. "_Well_?"

Morte sighed again, shifting his weight. "Melancholy...half of our city population has been killed. This is almost like another Nikki Town incident, but the monster left before he could take all of the city."

-_-_-_-

Cell was perching in a nice, shady tree when he heard the helicopters whizzing by overhead. The branches shook, some leaves fell, but Cell was not surprised. Rolling his slanted eyes up, he watched the black underbellies of the helicopters disappear from view. He'd seen this before--in the Nikki town and South city 'incidents'. The army, police forces, helicopters, the works--all charging into his latest crippled city to see if they could repair any damage and find survivors. 

Cell continued to lounge, letting his tail hang over the limb as his clawed hands were folded over his chest. He was thinking, or more-so plotting or scheming. He couldn't let his entire reputation of being a mass murderer of entire cities go down in flames just because he had failed to destroy all the humans in his latest attack. 

So, coyly the android decided he would attack again. But when?

Surely the Z Senshi would expect him to attack at some point or another. He had barely avoided them in escaping. Cell also knew Piccolo had it in for him.

__

'I'll attack tonight.

They won't expect that.

The security will be tighter. The Z senshi will be more alert. Of course they won't expect me to attack again so swiftly--and the same city, for that matter.

I'll go in from the east, where I cleared out the humans. There will be policeman. But since when did the human defense force ever pose a problem to me?'

Cell's beak twisted into a smirk.

__

'Besides, I still have to kill that human who caused me to have to leave so early anyway.

I'll give her apartment a little...visit.'

The excitement of an oncoming hunt sent adrenaline pumping through Cell's body. Restlessly he sat up in the branch, tail curled and leaped, disappearing into the undergrowth with his speckled hide.

-_-_-_-

"Goku! You really shouldn't be stressing yourself so!" ChiChi screeched as her husband made his way to their dinner table. "You just got over a heart virus for Kami's sake!"

Goku put on that trademark Son grin of his. "But ChiChi, I feel fine! Besides..." His face immediately contorted into one of solemn anger. "That monster that Krillin told me about--Cell--he's still alive and still killing more innocent people! I have to get ready to face him!"

ChiChi sighed at her husband's stubborn will. After Krillin, Tien and Piccolo had come back from South City, they had told the newly awakened Goku about the monster Cell and his deadly rampage. Krillin had had a personal close call himself.

"His name is Cell," Piccolo had stated.

"Cell..." Goku stared hard at the table, for a moment even ignoring his dinner that ChiChi had prepared for him. "You'll....pay for this!!"

-_-_-_-

It was getting dark again.

Urami pulled the coat tighter around her body as a chill wind swept through the city. The sound of sirens echoed in her ears as she buried her head into the soft material of her coat. Morte had been kind enough to offer Urami his coat.

__

"It's going to be chilly tonight," he had said. _"You'll be going home soon, so take this."_

Why did Morte persist to be so kind and generous towards her? If he was trying to earn her trust he was heading toward a dead end.

__

'Hnph.' Urami padded up the stairs to her apartment, pulling to her keys and flipping through them before inserting the correct one into the slot and opening the door. _'The kind think they can take advantage of me with their good-nature and talks of kindness and warmth. They think they can change me?'_

Urami jerked out her keys and shoved her foot into the door, causing it to swing open violently.

__

'They can't!!'

The young woman stood for a moment, catching her breath before entering her apartment and slamming the door shut behind her. 

-_-_-_-

Cell prowled through the alley, his eyes taking on an unnatural golden glow as his gaze flickered from shadow to shadow, attempting to catch any movement.

He'd been correct. There were task force and policemen swarming the city. He had already taken down 16--and counting.

The familiar sight of the apartment building greeted Cell as he slipped from the alley and made his way to the back of the building. Some of the windows of various rooms were lit up. Contemplating his situation, Cell snuck to the side and peered around the front. There was a single guard standing, a cup of coffee in his hand. Smirking, Cell knew this would be no problem. It would be easier for the android to sneak up the stairs from the front, so he wouldn't alert or be seen through any windows. If he WAS seen through a window, then he would have to kill the human as quickly as possible. Which meant breaking the window. Which also meant a lot of noise.

This way was quieter. 

Besides, the night was dark and everyone was inside. The humans were scared of the 'monster' that loved to prey on their loved ones. 

If there was one thing Cell hated, it was being called a monster.

__

'Monster? They know not of what they accuse.

I am perfect.

They are imperfect.'

Cell smirked again, a low, husky laugh thumping from his throat as he crept behind the guard.

__

'Humans are the monsters.'

Cell's tail was utterly silent as it struck through the air.

__

'Pathetic, widely distributed creatures.'

The man never had an opportunity to scream as the sharpest tip of Cell's tail pierced through the back of his neck.

__

'How have they survived so long?'

Cell's eyes warily fled from corner to corner, street to street and building to building as the main part of his body was pressed low into the shadows. The guard was on the soggy ground, choking silently as his bio-extract was taken from him.

__

'I'm doing them a favor.'

Cell grabbed the man's clothing and shoved it against the side of the building where it couldn't be directly seen. Taking a moment to dwell in this new power he had acquired, Cell slipped around to the front and spotted the metal stairs to the right corner of the apartment. Slipping under the light of one of the office doors, Cell frowned. The stairs could prove a problem. His talons would cause a noise on the smooth metal.

Dismissing the stairs, Cell looked for another way to get to the third floor. 

"Mister Iyaku! I demand you get back here! You're not fit to drive!"

Cell's head whipped around to the office door. A middle-aged man stumbled out, a bottle in his hand. His face was flushed a deep crimson red.

Cell frowned, slinking over to the shadow's under the stairs. _'A drunkard.'_

"Mister Iyaku!" One of the apartment personnel ran out after the man, a notepad in hand as he attempted to get the man's attention. "Under policy, if I know you are drunk I'm not allowed to let you drive! Please sir just go back to your room!"

Cell's frown deepened. These two twits' yelling would alert every human in the building!

Faster than any cheetah could hope to be, Cell's body blazed like a bullet, tail lanced. 

The drunk man stumbled, turning around just in time to see Cell's deadliest weapon shoot through his chest and even past him into the personnel standing behind him.

Jerking his tail back, the two humans were swept back under the stairs. The metal spiral binding on the notepad clanked against the metal stairs.

-_-_-_-

Urami looked up from her television program. She could have sworn she heard some yelling outside. Shrugging, the young woman turned her attention back to the television. A hand of hers reached up to lightly touch the bandages on her jaw. She winced as little stings of pain shot through her. 

The sudden clang of something hitting the stairs jerked her from the television again. Now angry and curious, Urami--dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black tank top that she usually wore to bed with brown sandals--made her way to the door. If that was her neighbor's again, she would just tell them how she felt-

But as suddenly as it came, the emotion of anger left the woman. She was hollow again.

She found it harder and harder to keep any emotions inside of her, no matter how strong they were.

__

~They died from the cold within.~

Urami pushed open her door, looking off into the dark sky. Stars were brimming everywhere, though it was hard to see them with the city lights. The sound of sirens in the distance was still clear as crews continued to go through the city and attempt to repair the damage. 

__

'They can repair the damage...

The broken homes and broken glass...

They can't repair the heart....

They couldn't repair mine...

Even if I had one in the first place...'

It wasn't sympathy for herself, Urami was feeling, but cold contempt.

The night was silent. The yelling had abruptly stopped. Curious, Urami walked to the edge of the walkway and peered over the railing to the ground below.

Nothing. The light from the office washed over the sidewalk and surrounding pavement, but nothing made a sound. Looking to the stairs, Urami saw nothing but shadow. 

Puzzled, the young woman shrugged and backed away from the railing.

It was then the hair on the back of her neck prickled in silent warning. Taking a deep breath, Urami spun around, muscles frozen in preparation.

Perching on the railing just a few feet away was none other than the monster itself.

"Hello," it rasped coldly.

__

A/N:

Hey! Well, just wanted to say a few things.

For those of you who are reading, I hope you like it so far. I'm actually finding myself growing quite fond of this fanfiction...I've even updated it twice in a row.

Secondly, I can only hope interest isn't lost. If I do something wrong, please tell me. I don't want to lose any of my readers. I really rely on all of you.

I'll also begin replying to reviews at the end of every installment!

That's about it for now!

Ciao! ^^

Winners of the 'Shugotenshi' Contest

Darkness Angel! ***Tosses her a basket filled with digital cookies*** Great job! It means 'guardian angel'.

Runners up are: Pen Dragon, Lilmissgoten, and Demoness Yasha! Good work ^^ ***Tosses them cookies too***

There's a different contest this time around. It's not really a contest as much as it is a question! ^^

What do you think was on the paper Urami seemed to be weeping over?

I doubt any of you will get it but you never know! I'd like to know your thoughts ^^ Anyone who gives an answer gets digital cookies! (Yum.)

Reviewers:

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Darkness Angel - Thank you! ^^ I hope your fiction goes well, too!

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Pen Dragon - Wow, really? That's good, I guess ^^ I'm updating! ***Dance***

Masquerade - Sorry about that! I had the chapter up but then I forgot to add something to it, then I had to take it off and when I tried to put it back up, FF.net was on it's 'Nothing shall be uploaded' kick for a few days. Sorry ^^;

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Lilmissgoten - What are you doing here??! Get out! Out! XDD ***hug*** Yes, Imperfect stage Cell's attitude it very catchy XD. Hss. I THREW BAKURA! I admit it!

LILBRWNGIRL2002 - Thanks!

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Shogun - There are better ^^;

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Demoness Yasha Helfire - Those are really good questions! I'll give you little hints now and then ^^ Can't promise anything though...^^

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ReJeCtEd AnGeL - Thank you! If you're talking about Cell leaving, it was because he sensed the Z senshi approaching and he had to go. But he also wanted to kill Urami. Poor Cell-baka! ***Pets him*** A little too week to have nasty Z senshi double-team him just yet! But that should change ^^.

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Vegeta's Personal Trainer - Here's more!

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Shaouzu - I have? ^^;


	5. Fly in the Web

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Disclaimer: No DBZ is owned by me. ***Tra-lala***

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A lot of stuff has happened, I know you hear that from every other author/authoress, so I'm not going to go into detail. But I do hope you're still with me and reading this, and that you'll drop a line or two. Thanks!

[ shameful plug ] I wouldn't mind if you also check out my newest fiction, 'Bleed the Sky'. It's a Buu fanfic, but I hope it can turn out to be a pretty good piece of work ^^; [ /shameful plug ]

Synthetic

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Installment 5

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~Synthetic solution   
Synthetic, I'll become   
Synthetic, if it makes this go away ...

... I have become synthetic.~

Urami's mouth hung open in a perfect 'o' as her eyes widened.

__

Thump. Thump.

Her heart was making a reappearance. And boy was it putting off some emotion.

Fear.

A low, ebbing flow of fear. And it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. She rarely felt fear, but of all other emotions it was one that did not fade as quickly as it came. It had a tendency to linger.

Especially when facing seven foot monsters.

That ate people.

Or so the media said.

Maybe he just disposed of the bodies?

Urami's thoughts whirled in her head, none of which made sense. She took a step back, half of her face concealed in the shadows of the night. She wanted to say something along the lines of, 'You!', but not a word dared to slip from her tongue.

The monster was still perched on the railing, like a misplaced demon cat. Streetlights washed over half of its body, revealing it's odd body shape and horrible elongated tail. Then suddenly, in swift motion, it was off of the railings and standing straight on the concrete just a few feet away.

Urami stumbled back, her lips twisting back into an almost feral snarl. One of her hands reached out a little, as if she was prepared to bolt back into her apartment.

Foolish thinking. There was no way she could escape.

-_-_-_-

Cell was enjoying every moment of this. Prolonged torture amused him highly. Due to his sadistic nature, he rarely let a chance slip by without getting some entertainment out of it. And watching this human squirm while under his gaze proved satisfactory. She did not scream, or attempt to run--at least, not yet,--but she did not also stand like a stone, or yell vulgarities at him.

Cell decided to break the silence as a siren sounded through the air not far away. "Remember me?"

It was an obvious question. But then again, the blow to her head might have distorted her memory.

"Of course."

Cell wasn't expecting an answer so soon. But still, his beak twisted into a smirk.

"Is it pleasant seeing me again?" the android inquired, playing the role of a gentleman.

Urami's eyes flickered briefly to her apartment door, but a moment later she forced them back onto Cell. "...How would you...like me to answer?"

Cell frowned.

"Either way...you'll kill me."

Unable to help himself, Cell chuckled maliciously, his chest rumbling in sadistic pleasure. "My, my...you're a more intelligent brand of human."

Urami stared blankly at Cell. She had to accept her fate. She was no different than any of the other people this monster had already killed. She was going to die. Vanish, without a trace.

And still, the night was dark. A perfect backdrop for her demise.

"Though I haven't made up my mind just yet, little human" Cell continued coyly. He had been planning on killing the human either way, just like she had predicted. But since it was obvious she was already expecting this, it wouldn't be as fun. So, Cell was going to play with her mind a little and get her to believing he'd let her live--THEN he'd absorb her.

Besides, not like he had anything better to do.

Urami's heart slowly sank from her throat. This monster...was more than just a monster. Furrowing her brow, she couldn't help but study him. He was intelligent, cunning...and well, evil. 

Where had he come from?

What mad man had created him?

"...Urami."

Cell took his gaze away from the street lights and bore his gaze into Urami's. "Repeat."

Urami swallowed, frantically wanting to tear her eyes from the monster's, but unable to. "Urami...a human...but Urami."

Cell suddenly chuckled. "Oh, I see. Your name, I assume."

The android whipped his tail behind him.

"You're not getting any special freebees for telling me your name," he snapped.

Urami felt sweat in the palms of her hands. "...I didn't expect as much...though the term 'human' is a little..."

She swallowed again. Here she was, conversing outside her apartment to a mass murderer like he was an old friend.

"...bland."

Cell's beak twisted into frown, a low hiss emanating from him.

"You think of me as stupid, human?"

"No," Urami replied, surprised at how quickly her reply came. "If you were stupid you wouldn't have been so successful."

__

'Well, now aren't I just digging my own grave...'

"So you acknowledge my genius." Cell looked pleased. He had never quite been given a comment before. Though this changed absolutely nothing in his perspective.

Urami was silent. How she wanted to sprint into her apartment, lock the door, forget this had happened. 

__

'Just kill me!' Urami's mind screamed. Make it quick, painless, but just do it. 

Meanwhile, Cell was contemplating how he was going to play with his new toy. He was going to kill her, but first he had to disguise his previous murders of the employee and the drunkard and the security guard. 

Why?

He had a plan.

"I'll return, human."

Urami jerked in surprise, shivering as a chill night wind wisped by. He was leaving?

..And returning?

Cell turned to the edge, arms still folded. 

"Don't bother running."

His voice was cold, and of authority. Urami didn't even nod in response. She knew the he knew that she would obey.

And suddenly, he was gone.

Confused, Urami timidly stepped to the railing and peered over the edge. She thought she saw a streak of shadow, then nothing.

Another wind blew, and the young woman clutched at her arms and hurried inside her apartment, practically slamming the door behind her. She stood there for a few minutes, taking deep shaky breaths and exhaling faultily. 

That's when all strength left her. She felt her knees crumple inward and Urami collapsed onto the floor by the door, shaking and coughing, her fingers shivering as they touched her bandages. 

She had just...survived an encounter with a monster.

And he said he would 'return'.

He also admitted he would kill her.

All this, and she didn't even know his name.

-_-_-_-

It only took an hour before Cell returned to the apartment building. His work had been done - the evidence had been concealed. In order for his plan to work, he had to make everything seem like a coincidence.

Individually he had retrieved the clothing of the security guard, employee and drunkard. Rummaging through their clothes, he had found the guard's and employee's IDs. Using this he had found their addresses. The guard live alone in a small house by a drive-through, so Cell deposited his clothing there without hassle. The employee on the other hand had a wife and small dog, both of which were alive. Cell though, with little effort had killed both of them and deposited the employee's clothing alongside theirs. The drunkard had no ID on him, so the android deposited his clothing on a street he had already raided earlier that night.

When Cell returned to the apartment, he turned off the lights and even used his claws to lock the door. Now it looked as if the guard and employee had returned home for the night after locking up, and no one had come to replace them. And with the people living in the apartment still alive, no one would suspect Cell had anything to do with it.

Ah, Cell shocked himself sometimes.

And now, with nothing linking him to this apartment, Cell snuck back up the stairs to the door of Urami's apartment. It was nearing dawn now, it was so late. And though the android could not clearly feel the temperature, he knew it was slowly beginning to warm up. Smirking, he rapped his knuckles on the door.

-_-_-_-

Urami grunted as she heard a noise, and blearily peeled her eyes open. She had fallen asleep, curled up on the floor. Groaning with muscle pain, she staggered to an upright position. What had woken her up?

The door suddenly swung open without as much as a sound. It slammed into Urami's back and she coughed, pitching forwards and rolling a few feet,

Grunt.

She was almost too sleepy to feel it.

Looking up, she squinted and suddenly realized the monster from earlier was standing in her doorway.

Cell frowned in mild disgust. The woman looked dazed and confused, her hair frizzed in every direction and a fair amount of drool on her chin. Had she fallen asleep on the floor?

Taking his claw from the doorknob, Cell closed the door behind him and snorted. "Come humans, you should have better manners than that. Get up from the floor, you embarrass me."

Urami grunted but bit her tongue. She was so disgruntled--some of the medicine she had taken at the clinic was probably having side effects--she felt like ignoring the monster and curling back up on the floor again.

But alas, the young woman pulled herself up, albeit with a mild pain in her back and rubbed her eyes.

Cell's frown deepened. She looked so primitive.

"So why did you come back? I was so eager for death I couldn't help but sleep at the door."

Cell stared in mild shock at the human's sharp tongue. Even Urami looked a little surprised at her own words.

"Actually," Cell hissed coldly, "I have a better idea. Your apartment is going to be my home base."

It took a moment for Urami to process that information. Cell noticed the aware and witty--yet oddly distant and foreign--gleam come back into Urami's eyes. 

"..What?"

Cell shook his head, pulling the curtains on the small apartment window completely shut as he double-checked to make sure he had locked the door behind him. "I shouldn't have to explain myself, imbecile. Figure it out yourself."

Urami stood, wobbling, but her mind was as aware as ever.

Oh...

"You're going to stay at the one place no one would think to look for you...with a human...in a human dwelling."

Cell sneered, pulling back his leap to flash his wicked fangs. "Correct."

Now Urami knew where Cell had been. Obviously he had gone to conceal any evidence linking him here.

But now she knew Cell couldn't kill her--not as long as he wanted to remain anonymous. But who knew how long that would last?

Cell brushed rudely past Urami and stalked into the kitchen. Urami could see him over the bar.

"Go get some sleep," the android instructed harshly. "Your appearance disturbs me."

Urami's mind immediately came up with more than a few smart and snippy remarks she could throw back at the monster, but she kept them to herself. She wasn't going to give him what he obviously wanted--a fight.

Instead she mutely stumbled into her bedroom. But before she collapsed on her bed, she shut and locked the door behind her, just for peace of mind. THEN she collapsed onto her bed.

What a day.

And she still didn't know his name.

Can You Guess? Contest

Wow! Thank Kami for all the bright and intelligent readers out there! A LOT of you gave some very good guesses and I'm impressed, and some of you were definitely on the right track! One of you was so close it nearly scared me. XD. Now, for another simple 'Can You Guess?' question!

Where do you think I got the inspiration for this fic?

And for everyone who answered the last question: Free cookies for all! ***Showers them about***

Reviewers:

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Yasha the Shadow Keeper - Hey Yash! Wow, that's a really great guess...but I can't tell you HOW close you got ;D I'm under threat of death if I do! 

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ReJeCteD AnGeL - Cellypoo, ah, the names we give the big scary android XD. Who knows what Cell's going to do! ...well, I do...but that doesn't matter?

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Phoenix Rising - Wow...it was scary? Dude! I didn't know it would be even slightly scary, I just typed it out and figured it was okay enough to post. I've never written anything even remotely scary before.

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Katie-Kaigirl - Hiya! Urami is pretty cool, I tried to take a break from the over used character personalities and create a new one. As the story progresses more aspects of Urami's personality will progress...and there's going to be a MAJOR plot twist (HINT HINT) that will definitely change everything. At least, I'd think it would.

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Vaarj - Heh, I think I'm going to try and finish this ^^; But it depends on what the reviewers think. ^^ Thanks! I try to be descriptive... Who knows what could happen, Cell could go insane and kill her or he could turn into a pacifist and sip tea all day and watch _Opera. _..o_O Let's just hope that doesn't happen.

Death Rider - Muha! Well, at least it wasn't a COMPLETE cliff hanger. I hate cliff hangers myself. I apologize for the mildly late update!

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Majin Youkai - Wo0t! YES! You got it right! A message was, INDEED, on the paper! XD But...I can't tell you what the message was. In fact, I can't tell you if it was a message at all. I might just be kidding. Or I might not be. Or I might just be confusing you, and myself. .. .. ..Yep.

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Raize - Thanks ^^

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Lilmissgoten - Oh girlfriend! I will chit your chitters to chitin' chit. XD. Chit chit, chit chitter chitin. 'I have lost my acorn.'. Chitty chit, chit chit chitin chit. 'Have you seen the acorn?'. Chit chitin chitty chitter. 'Do you have my acorn?'.

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condemned Hope - Thanks a lot! You might be right...or very close...man, I hate being secretive!

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Doctoroc - Wow. I thought it meant 'psychologically damaged lintball'. Maybe I'm wrong. Ahh, Cell's personality. Well, you have to keep in mind that this is first form Cell, for one. He has a bit of a one-track mind, and though he feel more than one emotion he only deals with one emotion at a time. So thus, if he is feeling contempt any other emotions are temporarily placed aside and he dwells on that one negative. Right now Cell is still very much bias against humans and will remain so for quite some time. Maybe even forever.

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Random Reader - Heh! I guess maybe it was a little scary...though I had no idea it was o_o Maybe I need to read over what I type. That could help. 

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Mirai no Majin Cat - It's to be pondered! I really don't know what they're going to do. Funky, huh? XD


	6. Name of the Devil

**Disclaimer:** No DBZ is owned by me. **Tra-lala**

_Wow. It's an update. I'm even amazed, even more amazed to be on again. If you want even more information, go to my profile. I have a few end notes after this, so stick around, yes?_

* * *

Synthetic

**Installment 6**

**

* * *

Bring-Bring. Brrrinnnngggg.**

Urami groaned. Why did her alarm have to go off at the precise time every morning?

_Because you set it, that's why, _her mental voice grunted drowsily.

Her mind was blanketed in a thick fog. Soft ebbs of pain flowed through her jaw and face, trailing down her spine and up the base of her head and neck. She was sore as heck, her joints were stiff, her wounds stung and seemed to be stuck to her bandages...she should have gotten stitches like any sane person.

Her nose and feet were cold...she felt clammy...when was the last time she had a good shower? She'd drooled some on her bed...

**Brrrrinnnnggg!!  
**  
She was going to kill her alarm...

When she got enough energy to get _up_...

Her breath caught as she heard a strange scratching sound at her door. Frowning inwardly, still rising from her foggy state of sleep, she kept her eyes closed. There was a click, then the padding of footsteps across her bedroom floor.

**Brrrinnn-**

_**BZZZT!**_

The popping sound, accompanied by angry sparks, sent Urami jerking up from her pillow to a sitting position.

What the?!

Her mind snapped back to reality and tried to take in what she saw.

The monster from last night was standing by her bed. One of his clawed fingers had driven right through her alarm clock. Sparks and the angry hiss of electricity sputter for a few moments, then went silent.

Urami stared for a moment, slowly absorbing the fact that the monster of Nikki Town just obliterated her alarm.

"It was damn annoying. Why can't humans be prompt enough to wake up without such aggravating noises?" the monster grumbled, not looking sorry in the least. It removed its claw and scowled to itself before turning to leave just as abruptly as it had barged in.

Urami tried to talk but her attempt came out as more of a nasty cough. "Yugh...thanks," she grumbled. It was the only thing that came to her mind, and dimly she tried to make her comment sound as sarcastic as possible.

The monster paused at the door before slowly swiveling its head to glare at the disheveled woman that was sitting on her bed. Urami made a mental note that the monster seemed to have pretty good hearing. _Great._

"You're alive only by my good graces, human filth," the monster spat, though not really sounding that angry. Just annoyed, like it had something even more boring to do than exchange insults with a woman.

Urami only blinked in response. It was too early for this. If it wanted to kill her, it would have been nice if it had done it right then, while she was still sleepy. It probably wouldn't hurt as much.

Urami then realized the monster was gone and she grunted, throwing the few sheets off her. Glaring at her shattered alarm clock, she rummaged in her dresser drawer and found a good watch. Glancing at the time, she cursed mildly. She was going to be late for work!

Stumbling up and yanking on a shoe, Urami suddenly halted in front of a mirror. _I don't have work anymore... _Of course. Her workplace had been partially destroyed, and her face... She'd been laid off for the time being. She didn't HAVE a job.

Urami wasn't sure how to take this. She didn't really bother thinking about it as more pain shot up from her bandaged jaw. Her face looked a little swollen, but not too badly. She would have to change the bandages eventually, and she _really _didn't like the thought of peeling the bandages off of her tender skin. And especially not with that monster lurking around her apartment...

What was with that anyway? Urami sighed and threw her shoe on her bed, grabbing an old robe from her dresser and throwing it over her shoulders. She glanced around her sloppy room and inwardly made a note to clean it...sometime. Maybe when she didn't feel like there was a jackhammer hammering against one side of her face.

She trudged into the kitchen, at a loss for what to do. She decided she'd scrounge up some breakfast, even though she wasn't that hungry.

Something immediately felt strange as she entered the brightly lit room. She blinked and rubbed at an eye before surveying her surroundings. Everything was in place...

Wait.

Urami wandered over and expected her counters, the bar, and even looked in her fridge.

Where was the mess? The old plates, the groceries, the molded banana peel that had been sitting by the microwave for a matter of weeks?

Everything was...clean.

"All humans are pigs, but I believe you certainly set the standard," the creature snipped from across the room. It was lazily standing by a window in the living room, its eyes closed. Urami wondered how it knew she was there, and decided to chalk it up to its excellent hearing. There was a lot she didn't understand.

"Thanks," Urami grumbled again, lazily. She suddenly didn't feel very obliged for breakfast, feeling a weird churning in her stomach, so instead she decided to go to the bathroom and inspect her face.

--------

Such insolence! Cell fumed inwardly at the reaction he was getting from this woman. He expected some measure of anger or fear or respect from her, but the most he got was grumbling. Then again, humans had a tendency to suffer from stupidity, so he really wasn't that surprised.

It was good, in a way. This meant the human wouldn't be getting in his way that much--he detested even to hear their grating little voices, unless they were screaming in terror. Then again, it also meant the human wouldn't be putting up many fights. This was a small let-down, but it didn't really matter. He'd kill her eventually. Hell, if she really was mentally unstable, she'd probably thank him for it. Who wouldn't want to be a part of Perfection?

Cell almost purred at the thought as he kept his arms folded against his chest. He loved that word. Perfection.

The noise from the city came slipped through the window, but it was suitably much more depressed than usual. There weren't as many cars driving by, no honking of horns, not the sound of innumerable feet pounding on the sidewalk outside...

Of course, when you decimate half the population of a city, that happens. Instead of sunny-faced pedestrians merrily marching down the road on their way to work, somber--and unnerved--secret service and police crept down the sidewalks, weapons bristled, eyes watching. And afraid, always afraid. That cool, chilling fear that Cell could feel radiating from the city even from his stance in that apartment room. The cold chill of a city shaken. It was beautiful to him, to almost hear the quaking of its population, and he basked in the thoughts of people whispering about him over their coffee breaks, over their phones. It was a kind of twisted serenity, an attention--and respect--he craved. It was what fed him.

If only the damn Z fighters kept out of his way. it might have been a good thing, in the long run, that he left half the city. It presented a confusing dilemma. Would he go ahead and wipe out the rest of the city? Or would he move on?

Knowing the simplicity of the Z fighters, and how they thought _him _to be a simple monster, Cell knew what they thought. They would think he'd keep his pride and kill off the rest of this city. it was tempting, but Android 21 knew better. he would raid another city at sundown, and begin an elaborate but untraceable pattern. he would raid a different city every night, in different degrees, striking and retreating when he saw fit. Of course he would have to strike this city again sometime soon, just so it wouldn't seem like he _was _hiding out here. The Z tenshi would be at a loss for what he'd do next, and they'd be unable to track him.

Then, once he felt bloated on enough death, Cell would hunt for his androids. One at a time, naturally...too dangerous to try both at once. Surely they'd be lured in by the chaos of the cities. Easy prey. It was just a matter of keeping away from the Z tenshi. The android despised the game of Hide And Go Seek, but there was little he could to. He had to admit to himself he was weak. He was not yet perfect.

Yet.

A vague "_Ouch!_" from the nearby bathroom pulled the android from his stirring thoughts of glory. He grunted, a small and rumbling noise, and shifted his weight. If he had to deal with this insolence much longer, he'd end up killing the human sooner than he wanted. He quietly regretted destroying most of her workplace and even giving her such a serious injury--if it weren't for all _that,_ she would have somewhere to GO during the day. Meanwhile he was patiently waiting for sundown, so he could plot out his next attack. He had all the patience in the world...when it suited him.

--------

Urami winced, plastering some new bandages to her face. The grooves in her skin were thin but deep, and her attempts to wash her face only made her injuries burn unfaithfully. Once the painful procedure was done the young woman did her best to wash out her air and wipe down her arms and legs. She felt a bit cleaner and more presentable--not like it mattered, since her only company was a monster.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Urami exited and grabbed some orange juice from the newly-cleaned refrigerator. She paused on entering the main room, where the monster was idly standing by the window. Despite being distant and disconnected from most emotions, she couldn't HELP but feel the hair on her neck prickle and her heart start hammering faster when she got near that thing. Try as she might, she could push the fear away. It pulsated through her veins, and she tried her best to mask it. Coughing to herself, she warily sat on her couch and picked up the TV remote.

The monster didn't move or even make any motion signalling it knew she was there. Urami breathed slowly and sucked in quickly before turning the TV on. She quickly set it on mute, trying to calm her heart as she sipped her juice and stared straight ahead.

_Yeah, wonderful. It's a classic picture from every TV show. A woman and a monster...watching TV. _Urami would have almost thought it funny if she'd been more humorous and hadn't been so unnerved by the whole situation.

Not that the monster was watching the TV, anyway. His eyes were closed and they had remained that way ever since Urami had come out of her bedroom. The woman was thankful, because his eyes were more than a little unsettling. They were cat eyes...snake eyes...monster eyes.

Monster. She had to come up with a better term than that to describe this thing. Did it have a species, race? Even a name? She'd given it HER name, but it hadn't done the same. Not like it should feel obligated or anything, since she _was _just a human.

Where had it come from? What was its purpose? Did it have any weaknesses? Goals?

These questions plagued Urami, but she didn't bother to ponder over them too much, much less ask them. It didn't really matter. She was trapped. All she could do was play this out like it was a normal day...her sitting on her couch, jobless, trying not to disturb a monster standing by her window...

Carefully studying the creature out of the corner of her eye, she readily determined it was a male, or close to one anyway. Its body structure was masculine, and its voice--though raspy--held masculine qualities. It was also pretty egotistical.

Hm.

"What are you staring at?"

The monster's cynical voice caught Urami off guard. She almost jumped in her seat but remained calm, still watching the moving scenes on the TV.

"The TV," she muttered lamely. _Idiot._

The monster scoffed deeply. "You're even more of a liar than you are a pig," it responded rudely.

"What made you clean everything up, anyway?" Urami suddenly blurted, just as rudely. What was she DOING? It was almost like she was poking fun at the fact that a great monster cleaned up her apartment for her. _If I want to live even for a little while, the _last _thing I can do is not take shots at his ego! _Strangely at that moment, Urami decided living was just a little better than dying.

Slowly one of the monster's eyes peeled open, revealing that haunting slanted pupil that drilled holes through the woman. "Because it was disgusting," he hissed carefully.

"I know," Urami muttered. She didn't know what else to say. She could have sworn she saw the monster roll its one open eye from disgust. She didn't blame him--she was acting more than a little stupid. She was never good at socializing, much less with non-humans.

"Go do something," the monster ordered. "Your human stench is detestable."

Urami stiffened, ready to fire back some sort of half-thought-of comment before sighing. Going far, far away didn't seem like such a bad idea. She went to stand.

"And don't even think about running your mouth," the creature added lowly.

It was Urami's turn to utter a small scoff. "I'm not _stupid_," she remarked.

Surprisingly the monster barked out a raspy laugh at the woman's choice of words. Urami scowled and straightened her shoulders, turning off the TV and trying not to look directly at the thing.

"Hypocritical humans," it went on, almost in a merciless giggle.

"Urami," the woman repeated tiredly. The whole "human" thing was getting annoying. "Do _all_ monsters talk like you do?"

Inwardly, Urami felt like smacking herself. If she wanted to live for as long as possible, WHY was she talking to him like she was begging for him to kill her? Being disconnected from most emotions left her confused. What exactly DID she want?

Urami's hand was on the doorknob when she felt the looming presence rise up behind her. Her whole body went rigid as the tips of her fingers trembled slightly. Great. She'd pissed him off.

"Cell."

_What?_

Urami dared not speak. The initial fear was gone. If he wanted to kill her, there was nothing stopping him. Her back was to him. And even if it wasn't, he'd still have no trouble. How easily did he kill everyone else? Too easily, if he could decimate half a city in only one night. She could almost see that horrible tail wavering behind him. It was what she feared most of all, for some reason.

"Cell," the monster repeated, its hot breath against the back of Urami's head. Vaguely detached from the moment, Urami noted is breath smelled vaguely sweet. How strange.

"Is that..." she managed, keeping her voice monotone.

"My name. Learn it well."

_No problem there.  
_  
Cell. What a weird name.

"Alright," the woman managed again. She quickly opened the door, expecting the monster to grab her, or kill her on the spot. She just wanted to get away from that looming shadow, that churning presence. She was in that mood that caused her to want to live for today.

He didn't. She didn't look back, but she heard the door close behind her as she hurried from her apartment and down the stairs.

So his name was Cell.

_

* * *

Hello again! Been a while. Well, it's been years since I've seen the Cell Saga, and it's been almost as long since I've looked at this fiction. Due to this, I'm trying to brush up on my education. But I just couldn't bear to leave this fiction hanging, after all. Thanks to everyone that reviewed. If I get any reviews this time, (which would be surprising,) I'll try to reply to them in the next installment. I hope that's sometime soon. Any ideas and suggestions for this story is encouraged._

_Ciao!_


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